Ted McDougal

Ted McDougal is the founder and principal of McDougal + Associates, a business communications consultancy. Recent assignments have included strategic counsel and tactical execution of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility programs, as well as quarterly earnings development and special purpose vehicle support.

Prior to joining Ketchum, McDougal was vice president of public relations for Sears Holdings Corporation, where he led business and financial communications for the nation’s third-largest retailer.His accomplishments include successfully positioning Sears' $11-billion merger with Kmart and the $6-billion sale of the company's credit and financial products business to Citigroup, including counseling top management, building strategic consensus and coordinating investor and legal disclosures to secure favorable response from employees, customers and suppliers. In addition, he built marketing public relations programs incorporating product placement, special events, in-store promotion, online retailing and celebrity endorsement.

Before Sears, McDougal spent 17 years in financial services, spanning real estate, securities brokerage and commercial banking. He began his corporate career at Continental Bank in Chicago, where he was responsible for directing public relations, financial and marketing communications. His accomplishments include leading media relations and crisis communications during what was then the largest bank restructuring in U.S. history. He directed internal and external communication programs designed to lead changes associated with repositioning the restructured organization in the marketplace, culminating with its $1.9-billion merger with Bank of America.

A former reporter with experience in the public sector and political campaigns, McDougal earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Purdue University.